Atletico Madrid’s visit to Barcelona is usually a cantankerous affair as it is, but the clash had extra spice on Sunday night, with plenty of narrative to consider. Aside from Joao Felix scoring against his parent club, Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay were also returning to their former hunting ground. There was little love lost between Felix and his former teammates in particular though, with both Saul Niguez and Griezmann exchanging criticism with Felix before the game.
Once it kicked off, it kicked off on several occasions. Felix was not given an easy ride by Los Rojiblancos, as was exemplified by a back and forth between the Portuguese and Jose Maria Gimenez.
“Do you want to fight or what?” asked Gimenez after recriminating him on the ground.
‘You hit me, you hit me!’
‘Yes, you do want to fight?’
While Felix will have felt the extra attention from his former teammates, he will have been able to rest easy after grabbing the winner. Fans can look forward to the fact the two will face off again at the Metropolitano, and chances are Felix is more likely to get a hot rather than a warm reception on his return to Atletico Madrid.